My Picks for 11/11/06

OK, it's about time we turn it around. No better time than now to start. Here we go...

1* Ohio St -23 Over Northwestern - Ohio St has been dominant all season, though they slipped up a little bit last week only winning by 7. This week they take on a Northwestern team that won at Iowa last week and the week before that played Michigan tough. Not this week. OSU is going to send a message going into the showdown with Michigan next week (biggest game of the year, decides who goes to the National Championship game) that they are the best team in the country, and Northwestern is the unfortunate team that will be the messenger.

2* UCLA +1` Over Oregon St - Oregon St has now assumed the role of most overvalued team in the country, as they beat USC two weeks ago then destroyed ASU last week. UCLA has had some injuries at QB but get their starter Olson back this week, and they have played solidly with him at the helm. Without him, they sucked. I expect UCLA to win this game by 10.

3* Central Florida +1 Over Memphis - Memphis is simply a terrible football team right now. UCF has been a team I've liked all season but have never come through, but I'm not ready to give up on them. They have played well, but have been plagued by turnovers. This week they face a defense that won't force any turnovers, and unless UCF kills themselves in this game, they should win it easily.

4* Houston -5 Over SMU - Houston has been a pretty solid team all season, with one of the best, most underrated passing offenses in the country. This year they go up against one of the worst passing defenses in the country, and QB Dan Kolb is going to absolutely tear them apart. I expect a Houston win of no less than 2 TD's.

5* Notre Dame -11` Over Air Force - This is the second time I have liked ND all season against the spread. There are a few factors why this is my favorite pick in about a month. 1) The talent gap in this game is absolutely huge. 2) ND just played against Navy 3 weeks ago, and they run the same complicated offense as AF, so it was fresh on the minds of the ND defensive unit as they practiced this week. 3) Brady Quinn and his receivers will have a giant day. There are no players in Air Force's secondary that can cover McKnight or Zmardija (no way I spelled that right). Quinn will throw for over 400 yards and 4 TD's, and that alone will be enough to cover the 11`. 4) This line should be no less than 18, I can't believe it's only 11`.

As far as the Nebraska game goes, this is a big one. A&M is a brutal place to play, as I have experienced it firsthand. It's also one of the best places to watch a game. NU has been practicing this week for the noise by blaring the A&M fight song full blast on the speaker system in Memorial Stadium. These are two very similar teams, and I expect a low scoring battle with NU pulling it out 17-14.

GO BIG RED